Homo Faber Economy: innovation, sustainability, and the growth of fine craftsmanship

Thursday, April 11 at Ca’ Foscari (San Giobbe), the first public discussion day of Homo Faber Economy. A seminar on craftsmanship and innovation for sustainable fashion

Craftsmanship and innovation for sustainable fashion: Experiences and experimentation in the Venetian context is the theme of the first public day of Homo Faber Economy, a project by Ca’ Foscari University, Fondazione di Venezia, and Upskill 4.0, which aims to promote innovation and development in Venetian craftsmanship by implementing growth paths for twelve artisan businesses through training and dialogue with national and international institutions.

Register for the webinar
Thursday, April 11
Time: 3 PM – 5 PM

Venetian fine craftsmanship represents a heritage for Venice and acts as a driver of urban and social regeneration when it contributes to offering original solutions to fundamental issues such as sustainability. On Thursday, April 11, the contribution of Venetian companies to the sustainable fashion paradigm will be discussed, identifying new materials and innovative services to create a more responsible production system that respects the environment and the community.

Discover the public webinar:

The fashion industry is one of the most polluting in the world. Craftsmanship can help solve the sector’s main problems by promoting high-quality responsible production, developing original proposals for the recovery of unused garments, and encouraging the use of sustainable materials linked to the local territory.

Cases such as Fashion Revolution, a global movement promoting sustainable and responsible fashion; Cradle to Cradle, a production system aiming to create completely recyclable and waste-free products; and Slow Fashion, a movement that counters fast fashion and promotes conscious, high-quality consumption, will be analyzed.

Giulia Pordd, ESG expert: the adoption of practices in line with ESG criteria responds to growing consumer expectations for sustainable luxury products and also lays the foundations for future growth that is environmentally friendly, socially responsible, and ethically guided.

Eleonora Di Maria, professor at the University of Padua, will hold a webinar titled “Fine Craftsmanship on the International Stage and Its Contribution to the Issue of Sustainability”.

Lorenzo Cinotti and Laura Scarpa of Venezia da Vivere, creators of various projects for craftsmanship and sustainable fashion, including Venice Fashion Week, will explain how Venice acts as a global visibility multiplier and a particularly interesting showcase for an international audience. Through events and projects, Venice contributes to developing an innovative image of the production model of the Veneto region and Made in Italy in general.

At the end of April, again at San Giobbe, the discussion will shift to the Food sector and the best national and international experiences that have stood out for an ethical and sustainable approach to food production and distribution, thanks to a significant reduction in the ecological footprint and support for the local economy.

The goal of the meetings is to connect the project’s entrepreneurs with the best experiences, encourage a constructive dialogue with participating experts, and immediately devise strategies to be implemented in the involved Venetian companies.

Homo Faber Economy: Innovation, Sustainability, and Local Economy is a project for the city of Venice promoted by Ca’ Foscari University of Venice in partnership with Fondazione di Venezia and Upskill 4.0 with national and international partners, such as Fondazione Cologni dei Mestieri d’Arte, Artex, Les Ateliers de Paris, Cockpit Studios in London, Babled Design in Lisbon, Le Mobilier National in Paris, and the communication agency Venezia da Vivere.

Thanks to the I.C.O.N.A. funding from the Veneto Region, until September 2025, this project will seek to provide concrete answers for innovation and the development of managerial and technological skills consistent with Venice.

The project focuses on the needs of the Venetian fine craftsmanship sector. Through training and reskilling initiatives, the project aims, on one hand, to meet the innovation and technological development needs of MSMEs in the sector; on the other, to enhance the managerial skills of freelancers and workers through the Design Thinking methodology.

Finally, thanks to the applied research conducted by Upskill 4.0 in collaboration with Fondazione di Venezia and Venezia da Vivere, HFE contributes to the revitalization of artisan activities in the city of Venice and the lagoon, with the aim of encouraging the start-up of new businesses and the development of innovative business branches.

Find out more about the project.

Photos by Marta Formentello. Portrait of Lara Perbellini by Laura Scarpa.